it's long been thought by republicans that doing so would allow the taliban, particularly the taliban that's holed up in pakistan and that crosses freely into afghanistan, giving them that heads-up that they can just wait america out and then do their damage. the reality is that there's been a negotiation with the taliban and the coalition forces. the taliban is likely to have some role in ruling afghanistan is disappointing and as tragic as that may be to people around the world, that is a definite possibility as we move forward. >> david, a quick question about the debates now three days away. right now the latest gallup poll shows the president with the six-point lead. historically how much impact do these debates have on elections? >> well, they can have a lot of impact. it's a high-profile moment, tens of millions of people watching. as you look at the national number and you look at the spread and you look he battleground state, on the order of seven points that mitt romney has to make up, it's a lot of ground to try to move if you have a smaller pool of undecided voters. that's